


Can You See The Flares

by nexparker



Series: Blood On Your Hands [6]
Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 乐华七子NEXT | NEX7, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: F/F, I Watched Too Much Grey's Anatomy, M/M, Medical Trauma, Nex7, doctor!yanchen, gang!awaken-f, gang!nex7, gangmember!zeren, gramarie, idk how to write court scenes, oaca, yuehua - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 11:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16722315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nexparker/pseuds/nexparker
Summary: “Because someone’s out there, sending out flares...”





	Can You See The Flares

**Author's Note:**

> Italics: Flashback
> 
> Word Count: 5K, like almost exactly.
> 
> Warnings: blood, swearing, kinda graphic descriptions of wounds, really inaccurate medicine, surgery, tropes, tooth-rotting fluff.
> 
> This series is falling apart... I apologize.

**THURSDAY | 4:54 PM:**

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on or are you going to continue to stare at your tea for the next 30 minutes?” Wenjun asked Minghao, who hadn’t moved since he had sat down at the cafeteria table. 

“I’ll probably just keep staring...” Minghao mumbled in a feeble attempt to make a joke, not looking up from the cup.

“Hey,” Wenjun prompted, leaning over the table so that the younger had no choice but to look at him.

“Talk to me. Please.” the older pleaded. “Tell me what is going on.”

Minghao’s eyes lowered to the cup once more. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“It certainly doesn’t seem like nothing, seeing as you just spent 45 minutes trying to give yourself hypothermia while pouting outside.” Wenjun scoffed, leaning back in his chair and taking another sip of his coffee.

“I wasn’t pouting,” Minghao grunted.

“Sure, you weren’t.” the older rolled his eyes. “I get it if you don’t want to have a heart to heart right now, but you need to at least tell me what beef you have with Zeren so that I know you have a valid reason if you try to murder him.”

Minghao huffed in anger, causing a ripple in the tea within the cup under his chin.

“He lied.” 

“Yeah, we know that and I think he’s already paid for that enough--” Wenjun was interrupted by the younger.

“No. It’s not enough.” he hissed. “He  **lied**  to me. Straight to my face. And he knows that after what happened with...” Minghao’s words died on his lips, leaving a foul taste across his tongue. He cleared his throat before continuing.

“He knows I can’t deal with something like that again.” 

Wenjun hummed, acknowledging the statement. 

There was silence between the two for a moment, each taking time to glance around the cafeteria, neither wanting to speak on the sensitive subject. The second in command was the first to speak again.

“You know, he didn’t mean to press on a sore spot, Minghao.”

“Well, even if he didn’t mean to, he pretty much just punched a bruise.” the younger snapped.

“This is different. What happened with Xukun--” Wenjun started.

“ **Don’t you fucking dare say his name**.” the blonde glowered, pushing himself up from the table, seemingly ready to fight. People were starting to stare.

Wenjun ignored the displaced anger in his friend’s eyes.

“I get it. He was like a brother to you and you lost him, but that wasn’t your fault.” the taller tried to reason.

“Yes, it was. Just like it is now, with Zeren.” Minghao spat. 

“I was given a choice and I made the wrong decision. Then and now. What’s so different?! Zeren put me in this position and I chose wrong again, and it almost cost him his life! How is that different?!” He nearly yelled, breathing hard. 

The youngest member waited for a response from his friend, ready to attack at any moment. 

Wenjun was silent.

“Exactly.” Minghao snapped, slamming the chair he was sitting in towards the table before storming out of the hospital cafeteria.

* * *

Zhengting’s head was pounding. The slight buzz he had gotten off of the drink at Cheng Xiao’s place was long gone, and Zhengting missed it dearly. He shuffled along an unlabeled hallway within the hospital, feet feeling like they weighed tons. 

The bright lights that loomed overhead seemed to sterilize him, ridding him of all the “stuff” that shouldn’t be there, leaving only the pain in the back of his head.

It was getting late. His knew his members were wondering where he was, judging by the stream of texts that had been blowing up his phone. He hadn’t read any of them before this point, and wasn’t surprised to see the red icon with the number 20 at the top right of the messages app. Sliding his thumb across the cool glass, he began to read through them.

 **Wenjun | 11:23 AM:** just letting you know that they let us in to see zeren. he seems to be doing ok. do you know when you’ll be back?

 **Quanzhe | 11:45 AM :** Ge, where did you go? Are you okay?

 **Chengcheng | 12:37 PM :** you get lost or something? Wenjun-ge said you’d be back by now

 **Xinchun | 12:42 PM:** you missed the show lmao minghao almost slit zeren’s throat

 **Xinchun | 12:43 PM:** you better hurry back before they kill each other

 **Wenjun | 1:03 PM:** by the way, how exactly were we planning on paying for the medical bills?

 **Quanzhe | 1:14 PM:** Seriously, where are you?

 **Quanzhe | 1:14 PM:** Visiting hours will end in a couple of hours...

 **Wenjun | 1:25 PM:**  are you almost back? there’s been an incident

 **Wenjun | 1:26 PM:**  and by incident i mean that minghao disappeared

 **Chengcheng | 1:42 PM:**  minghao has gone MIA and wenjun went to look for him sos ting-ge

 **Xinchun | 1:57 PM:**  i swear if you’re hiding out in a bar somewhere

 **Quanzhe | 2:08 PM:** Please just tell me you’re okay...

 **Chengcheng | 3:24 PM:**  we’ve suddenly lost half of the gang what goes on

 **Quanzhe | 4:07 PM:**  We got kicked out of Zeren’s room by his doctor, so I guess we’ll head back to the waiting room, so meet us there, I guess. 

The messages from the concerned members flooded Zhengting’s brain, overwhelming his senses and causing them to blur together. Only one message stuck out against the rest.

 **Minghao | 1:13 PM:**  i really need to talk to you ge

Biting his lip, the leader read over the message a few times, beginning to walk slower as to focus on the tiny words. 

He wanted to feel for Minghao, he really did, but at this point in time, Zhengting wasn’t sure if he had the emotional capacity to really allow himself to empathize with the youngest.

Clicking the lock button on the side of his phone, Zhengting stuffed the device back into his hoodie pocket, letting the weight of his guilt mirror the weight of the phone. 

If only he could turn back time.

* * *

Yanchen’s fingers bounced off the screen of his tablet, making a slight tapping noise with every click as he updated Zeren’s latest chart.

‘His white blood cell count is lower than it was, but still within normal limits. That’s good...’ the resident thought to himself. Zeren seemingly was over his infection, and the cut in his side was healing well. Yanchen couldn’t decide if it was good or bad that this meant that he could be discharged.

Lost in thought, Yanchen didn’t notice the presence of the attending standing next to him until he felt a tap on the shoulder. He jumped a little at the sensation, but quickly collected himself.

“Oh, good evening, doctor.” Yanchen greeted respectfully with a bow.

“Doctor Zhou... we meet again.”  the attending grumbled, waiting for Yanchen to rise from his bow. It was at this point that Yanchen noticed a police officer standing against a wall a few yards away, watching their interaction.

“Is there something you needed?” Yanchen asked, flashing a bright smile in hope of making everything appear in order to the police officer as well as to the senior doctor.

“Yes, actually. I have some questions about your patient. The one in room 416. What was his name...” the attending paused for a moment, trying to remember.

“Ding Zeren, sir.” Yanchen supplied.

“Ah, yes. The one with the strange laceration. I was wondering if you happened to know anything more about the nature of Mr. Ding’s injury.” the attending asked, waiting for an answer almost expectantly.

“Uhhhh, I’m afraid I do not, sir.” Yanchen replied, starting to get even more anxious than he was when he first was approached by the doctor.

“Very interesting. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind it if I had this officer here ask the patient a few questions about it, then.” the attending gestured to the police officer.

Yanchen’s heart was racing. He knew that this could go downhill very, very fast.

“I-I...” he tried to formulate the words, but his brain failed to provide an excuse in time.

“Doctor Zhou?” the attending prompted.

“I don’t think that’s really n-necessary...” Yanchen stuttered.

“I disagree. Seeing as you failed to gather a proper history from the patient, it is impertienent to get one now, for records.” Yanchen looked down at his feet at this statement. “Also, this man has a history with the police. They want to know what he got wrapped up in to earn a gash like that. It only makes sense, Doctor Zhou.” the senior doctor finished.

“I-I’m sorry, sir. H-However, the patient is already asleep most likely and he needs his rest. Y-you know how it is, recovering from surgery and all.” the resident tried to reason.

“Is that so?”

“Y-yes.”  

The attending paused. Yanchen held his breath, hoping that he had convinced the older doctor to drop the issue.

“Well then. It still can’t hurt to have a look to see how he is healing.”

Yanchen’s heart sunk. He knew that this attending had never allowed him to live in the past, Yanchen was dumb to think that he would start now.

“R-right... Let me just see if he’s awake.”

Yanchen deposited his tablet on the counter before awkwardly shuffling over to the door of Zeren’s room under the gaze of his superior and the police officer. He pushed the door handle down and opened the door quietly. The main lights were off, leaving the small lights above the bed to provide the only light. The blinds on the window leading to the hallway were drawn, providing a sort of cave-like feeling.

Zeren wasn’t expecting anyone else to enter his room that night, so he was slightly confused when a frantic Yanchen entered his room with panic on his face. The resident hurried over to his bedside.

“Back so soon? Did you miss me-” Zeren started to speak before Yanchen clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shhh! As of right now, you are asleep and do not wake up until I tell you it’s okay. Got it?!” the doctor whispered hurriedly, pulling his hand away from Zeren’s mouth. Yanchen reached for a button above Zeren’s head and the top half of the bed started to lower a little bit.

“What the hell are you-”

“Just do it!” the resident hissed.

At this moment, the door to Zeren’s room opened again. Immediately, the brunette shut his eyes and pretended to sleep, deciding to trust Yanchen.

The resident shuffled awkwardly as his senior doctor entered the room, followed by the police officer.

“As you can see, Mr. Ding seems to be asleep right now, unfortunately.” Yanchen reported.

“So it would seem.” the attending hummed, unconvinced. He leaned over Zeren, inspecting every inch of his face carefully. “That’s too bad.”

Yanchen had to remind himself to breathe.

“Hmmm. Page me when he wakes up. I’m expecting you’re on call tonight then?”  the senior doctor moved back, turning to the resident.

“A-actually, I wasn’t supposed to be on-” Yanchen started to speak but was interrupted by the attending.

“Well, how are you supposed to alert me when he’s awake then, Doctor Zhou?”

Yanchen froze.

“I-I don’t know, sir.”

“Guess you’d better stay here then, hmm?” the older doctor responded.

“Y-yes, sir.” Yanchen bowed.

“Excellent. I’ll be expecting your page.”

With that, the attending walked out of the room, waving the police officer out with him. Yanchen let out the breath he had been holding as soon as the door had shut.

“I swear I heard your heart pounding.” Zeren muttered, eyes still closed.

“You can open your eyes now.” Yanchen informed the brunette, still panting.

“Can I ask what the hell just happened?” Zeren asked, looking up at the resident.

“I just lied about my knowledge of criminal activity to my superior and a police officer, that’s what happened.” Yanchen replied flatly.

“You did what?!” Zeren choked on his spit.

“Listen to me. I don’t know much about you or anything, but apparently you’re being watched by the police. They wanted to know what happened to you that led you to end up here.” the resident explained.

“Oh. Oh, fuck.” the brunette mumbled, immediately realizing what this could mean for him.

“Yeah.”

There was a long pause as both of them tried to absorb everything that had just happened.

Yanchen was the first to speak again.

“You’ve been doing well enough that I can discharge you tomorrow without question, but I’ll have to get your antibiotics to you somehow.” he said pensively, beginning to pace in front of Zeren.

“What are you talking about?”

Yanchen stopped pacing and looked back at the gang member.

“You have to get out of here. If you stay any longer, they’ll discharge you into the custody of the police, and I can’t help you then.” Yanchen warned.

“Why are you helping me?” the brunette asked. Silence followed.

“...I don’t know.” Yanchen admitted after a pause. Zeren stared up into Yanchen’s face from his bed, mentally willing him to say something else. Yanchen wanted to say something else, but his brain couldn’t find the words to say. Seemed to be a reoccurring theme for him that evening.

“...Okay, so how are you going to sneak me out of here?” Zeren questioned.

* * *

**FRIDAY | 6:07 AM:**

“Who did you say this prescription was for again?” the pharmacy employee asked.

Zhou Rui huffed in agitation, turning his attention back to the window.

“Patient Lin Yanjun. Can you hurry it up? I have other patients to attend to.” the long-haired resident lied through his teeth, bouncing on his toes out of anxiety.

“We’re going as fast as we can, doctor.” the employee replied flatly.

“Of course.” Zhou Rui muttered. He pulled up the sleeve of his lab coat to check his watch. He had 10 minutes until he was supposed to meet Yanchen and Linong back in exam room 5 on the first floor. Zhou Rui wasn’t exactly sure how he got wrapped up in this plan, but he was already starting to regret it.

* * *

**FRIDAY | 6:08 AM:**

“You don’t need any more blood, do you?” Zeren moaned as he watched Yanchen pull on new gloves inside the exam room.

“No. Not enough time. You got lucky today.” Yanchen replied.

“Thank god. It’s too early for me to deal with this.” the brunette leaned back on the exam table.

“Me too.” the resident muttered, very aware of the fact that he could lose his job over this. Yanchen moved back towards the exam table, where the gang member sat. 

“Sit up.” he commanded, and Zeren immediately straightened his back. Yanchen pulled his stethoscope off his neck and inserted the ends in his ears. 

The room was quiet as he started to listen to Zeren’s heart. Quiet, that is, until Zeren started talking.

“So... finding anything interesting?” he asked awkwardly.

Yanchen pulled a listening piece out of his ear before responding: “I might if you’d be quiet.” 

“Sorry, sorry...” the brunette apologized, quickly realizing that Yanchen wasn’t in the mood to joke around. Zeren decided he would change that. 

Who’s to say that just because there’s the possibility of Zeren being arrested and Yanchen losing his job that they can’t have a little fun?

The resident finished listening and pulled the stethoscope away from Zeren’s chest before setting the tool down on the exam table. 

“Is there a reason your heart is beating that fast?” Yanchen cocked his head tiredly.

“Maybe it’s because you make me nervous.” the gang member winked. 

Yanchen snorted. “Right. That’ll do it.” he said, picking up his tablet and recording his findings.

“So, like, I know I’m being discharged and all, but am I supposed to come back for a follow-up of some sort?” Zeren asked, making Yanchen look up from the screen.

“That doesn’t seem like the best idea, seeing as we’re currently sneaking you  **out**  of the hospital.” the resident pointed out. 

“Fair, fair. But isn’t that like the standard?” 

“Not in all cases. You seemed to have recovered well enough to the point where you could easily see a general practitioner for any issues.” Yanchen replied, setting the tablet down and reaching past Zeren’s head for the thermometer attached to the wall. 

“Huh, that’s not what happened in that medical drama I’ve been watching.” Zeren hummed. 

“Well, that’s why it’s a drama. Open your mouth.” 

The gang member did as he was told and Yanchen slid the thermometer in his mouth. After 30 seconds, the beep sounded and it was reported that Zeren didn’t have a fever. 

“Can you move the gown? Or take it off?” Yanchen asked, knowing the reaction he was about to recieve. 

“I don’t know. I’m still waiting on you to buy me that drink.” Zeren shrugged.

“Oh my god, I just need to see the cut, Zeren.” Yanchen sighed. 

“Of course, that’s what you want me to believe.” the brunette winked again, finally pulling the hospital gown up and exposing the covered wound. 

Yanchen carefully peeled the bandage away and meticulously examined the cut. 

“It’s healing well. No sign of a recurring infection.” He reported. 

“Awesome. No need to break out the antiseptic.” Zeren remarked, cocking his head slightly. Yanchen replaced the bandage over the wound and allowed Zeren to drop the fabric that he was holding before moving on quickly.

Pulling the blood pressure cuff off the wall, he waited for Zeren to offer his arm. 

Just as Yanchen had finished wrapping the cuff around his arm, there was a knock at the door. The two froze in place, at least until Yanchen heard Linong’s voice and visibly relaxed. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just me.” Linong explained. “I brought his guardian, should I have them come in?” Zeren almost laughed at the word guardian being used to describe Zhengting, but quickly realized that it wasn’t terribly inaccurate.

Yanchen looked to Zeren, who nodded slightly and the door opened further to allow the leader of Yuehua to enter.

“Long time no see, Ge.” Zeren greeted. 

“Shut up, I’ll deal with you later.” Zhengting snapped before turning to Yanchen. “How’s he doing?” 

“Much better now that he’s been off his feet for a week.” the resident reported as he began to inflate the cuff around Zeren’s arm. 

“Ah~ that’s tight.” the brunette whined. 

“Shut up.” Yanchen and Zhengting replied in sync, to which Zeren huffed quietly. The air in the room changed, the atmosphere becoming even more tense than it had been. Zeren couldn’t exactly flirt with his doctor with what was essentially his mom in the room.

After allowing the cuff to deflate, Yanchen pulled it off his arm. 

“You’re fine. Blood pressure is a little high, but at this point it doesn’t concern me.” Yanchen reported, deciding that he shouldn’t risk any more tests in fear of getting caught. Judging by the results of his last blood test and the appearance of the laceration and how it was healing, there was nothing significant that could really affect Zeren anyways.

“So, is he okay to leave?” Zhengting asked. The resident nodded. 

“I’ll be waiting outside for you once you finish changing.” 

Yanchen picked up his tablet and stethoscope before excusing himself from the room.

As soon as the door shut, Zeren set his attention on Zhengting.

“Heard you went AWOL. Did you have fun?” the younger member asked, pushing himself off the exam table and grabbing the shirt that Zhengting handed him.

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you where you stand. Be careful with your words.” the leader retaliated. 

“Noted.” Zeren muttered, slipping the shirt over his head after pulling off the hospital gown he was wearing. “When did you get back?” 

“Last night, at around 7.” Zhengting said, walking over to and leaning against a wall within the exam room. Zeren only hummed in response as he pulled on his pants.

“Are you done?” the older member questioned. 

“I think so. Where are the others?” 

“Xinchun, Quanzhe and Chengcheng went back to the base last night. Wenjun went to get the car and Minghao is with him, as far as I know.” Zhengting explained tiredly.

“Well, let’s get going then.” Zeren suggested as he finished tying his shoes, grateful that the ache in his side that he had become so accustomed to was no longer there.

Zhengting said nothing in response, only walked out of the room in front of the younger member. The brunette followed his leader eagerly, more than ready to leave the sterile environment that he had called home for the past couple of days.

Yanchen was standing a few feet from the door, talking to another doctor that Zeren recognized as the one that Yanchen dragged out of Zeren’s room yesterday. He only caught part of their conversation:

“I said it was for Lin Yanjun, so you better log it in the database that he received it. I’m not trying to lose my job over this.” the unnamed doctor commented, handing over a bottle of pills that Zeren assumed was for him.

“Will do. Thanks, ge. I owe you one.” Yanchen replied, flashing him a small smile. 

“You sure as hell do.” the other doctor snorted before walking away.

Noticing the gang members’ presence behind him, the resident turned around and sighed. 

“Well, this is for you.” Yanchen passed the bottle of pills to Zeren. “Make sure he takes it with food at the same time every day until it runs out. He should be feeling 100% in a couple of days.” he explained to Zhengting. 

“Thank you.” the leader replied softly. 

“You can use this wheelchair to get him out to the car.” 

“Oh, there’s no way in hell I’m-” Zeren started but was cut off by Zhengting.

“ **Sit.** ” He ordered. With reluctance, Zeren sat in the wheelchair, deciding it would be a bad idea to anger Zhengting any further. 

“He should be okay to eat solid foods now, but limit his activity for a few days.” the resident added, still addressing the older member, seemingly ignoring all of Zeren’s reactions to these instructions.

“Thank you for your help. We should be going.”

“Of course. You know how to reach me if he gets brave and messes himself up again.” Yanchen smiled softly. 

Zhengting nodded before grabbing the handles of the wheelchair and beginning to wheel the brunette down the hall and out of the hospital.

Zeren looked behind him and wasn’t sure if he was surprised to see Yanchen still standing there, watching them leave. Even worse, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

* * *

“There is  **really**  no need to carry me.” 

“It’s either this or we wrap you in bubble wrap. Your choice.” Wenjun grunted, gritting his teeth as he held Zeren up, splitting his weight with Zhengting.

“I vote neither.” Zeren muttered.

The pair worked together with haul the brunette inside, depositing him on his bed, careful not to irritate his healing wound, even if it didn’t hurt much anymore.

“You want me to rest?! You do realize that I’ve been doing nothing but lying in bed for four days, right?” Zeren whined.

“Then you should be excellent at it by now.” Zhengting remarked, pushing the younger member’s shoulders down onto the pillow. 

“The doctor said to limit your activity and we don’t trust you to take that advice on your own.” Wenjun added, pulling a blanket over his body.

“I cannot believe I’m being tucked into bed right now.” Zeren huffed. 

“You’d better believe it. Now, rest. I’ll have someone make you something to eat in a bit.” Wenjun urged. The older members left the room quietly after turning the lights off. 

Despite his whining, it didn’t take long for Zeren to slip into unconsciousness. 

* * *

_“All rise for the Judge!” an unnamed official called out._

_Zeren stood up awkwardly, trying to resist the urge to fidget with the too-tight collar of his button up. The room was unbearably warm, making the entire situation way more miserable than it already was._

_The judge entered the room, locking eyes with Zeren at one point. Unsure if that was a good or a bad thing, the brunette was sure that either way, he would be remembered._

_“You may be seated. Let’s begin the session.”  
_

_Taking his seat slowly, Zeren stole another glance at the desk belonging to the defendant. Han Mubo sat in the seat at the left of his desk, wearing bright orange prisoner clothing. He was also currently trying to burn a hole in the middle of Zeren’s forehead with his glare._

_Zeren tried his best to follow along with what was happening, but easily was lost in the sea of lawyer terminology. His head spun, curious as to how he landed himself in this situation. Zeren was clever; smart enough to outsmart the police, at least, he usually was._

_Zeren was pulled back down to earth by the sound of his name ringing in the air._

_“Mr. Ding? You’ve been called to testify at the stand.” the judge announced, now that he had the brunette’s attention.  
_

_Swallowing hard and wiping his sweaty palms on his dress pants, Zeren shakily stood up from his seat and moved slowly towards the stand at which he was to testify. A police officer walked over to stand in front of him once he had stopped moving in front of the wood. Zeren was asked to raise his right hand and to listen and agree to the statement the officer provided._

_‘God, this is it.’ he thought. ‘One wrong word and I’ll officially be on Han Mubo’s hit list.’  
_

_“Do you solemnly affirm that the evidence that I shall give, shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?“ the officer spoke again. The words seemed to be fuzzy to Zeren, making it hard to fully comprehend what the officer was saying.  
_

_“I do.” Zeren spoke clearly, yet with anxiety in his voice.  
_

_“You may proceed, Mr. Yang.” the officer reported to the lawyer representing the city.  
_

_“Thank you.” the lawyer hummed, seemingly ready to tear Zeren to shreds. “Mr. Ding, could you tell us what it is that you do for a living?”_

_“I-I, uh, I’m unemployed at the moment.” Zeren replied, trying not to choke on his words.  
_

_“Right. You recently graduated from high school, so it is somewhat understandable that you don’t have a job yet. Do you live separate from your family?” the lawyer pressed.  
_

_“Yes and no.” Zeren bit his lip, trying to think of a way to explain the fact that he had been living on a bunch of different properties illegally. “I sort of move around, never really staying in one place, so, I guess you could say I do?”_

_“I see. Assuming that you are staying within the law, how exactly are you paying your dues?”  
_

_‘Shit.’ Zeren thought. ‘He’s good.’  
_

_“I do some odd jobs on the side.” Zeren answered, which wasn’t a complete lie.  
_

_“Interesting. Do some of these jobs sometimes include, oh, I don’t know, the sale of merchandise?” the lawyer hummed, knowing he had backed the brunette into a corner.  
_

_Zeren tried not to let his voice shake as he answered._

_“Yes.”  
_

_“Is some of that merchandise considered contraband?”  
_

_Zeren looked over at Mubo, who seemed to be just as anxious as he was. However, the older man didn’t let the anxiety replace the waves of anger he sent in Zeren’s general direction._

_“I’m over here, Mr. Ding. Just answer the question.” the lawyer asserted.  
_

_“Y-yes. It sometimes does.” Zeren stumbled over his words. He could feel his heart racing inside of his chest, pounding against his ribcage over and over again.  
_

_“Could you please explain to the court what sorts of contrabanned items you partook in selling?”_

_Zeren really didn’t want to._

_“Uh... guns, mostly. Sometimes ammunition or parts.” the brunette explained reluctantly.  
_

_“Are you aware of the punishment for selling firearms without a permit in this country?” the lawyer cocked his head, almost playing with Zeren.  
_

_“5 years in prison at minimum, as well as a fine, usually.” Zeren lamented, stealing another look at Mubo, who seemed ready to break out of his handcuffs and full on attack Zeren where he sat._

_At this point, the brunette wasn’t sure what he feared more, the idea of compromising himself and going to prison, or the concept of facing Mubo’s wrath. To be honest, both sounded like pretty shitty ideas._

_“Indeed. I’m curious, Mr. Ding, as to who your supplier was. Could you, perhaps, enlighten us?”  
_

_Zeren wanted to throw up. Or maybe even just die. Maybe both. That would be so convenient, if he could just die on the spot. He’d never have to worry about going to prison or dying at the hand of his now ex-friend because he’d already be dead._

_Either way, whatever Zeren said next was going to change the future, and by a lot. He wanted to try to stall, to spit out something witty like he usually did, but his mind drew a blank._

_“I-I, uh...”  
_

_“We don’t have all day, Mr. Ding.”  
_

_Zeren didn’t think he had ever sweat this much in his life._

_“My supplier... He is, uhhh...” Zeren tried to begin again.  
_

_Mubo’s glare grew even more intense. The brunette swore he was going to set on fire._

_Reluctantly, Zeren offered up the truth, sealing both his and Mubo’s fates._

_“My supplier is Han Mubo.” he sighed, both feeling relief and regret almost in an instant._

_The lawyer questioning him paused. A smirk grew on his face, knowing that he had just pretty much won the case. He straightened his blazer and turned his attention towards the judge._

__Zeren closed his eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen in front of him._  
_

_“No further questions, your honor. I believe that this case is now closed.”  
_

**TO BE CONTINUED.**

**Author's Note:**

> hello I’m baCK
> 
> again, sorry this took literally forever, I just didn’t really know where to take it
> 
> but now I have ideas!!! so we back laid ease!!
> 
> also like i said this is kind of a mess and im sorry its kind of just a filler chapter 
> 
> but yes!! thank you guys so much for reading and continually giving me feedback it means the world to me


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